This year’s Flynn Garden tour, organized by Friends of the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, will be held on Sunday, July 13 from 10am-3pm and will feature six properties in Williston that offer a little bit of everything, gardens great and small, suburban and country, meadow and woodland. Now in its 18th year, organizers have sought to find a range of landscapes that celebrate what it means to be a Vermont gardener.

A small farmstead will offer tours of its vegetable gardens and apple orchard, and visitors will see two Shetland-Dorset cross sheep in a pasture, along with chickens and ducks in a pond set on the property.

More edible gardens will be on display at another large homestead with a greenhouse, where vegetables and about 1,000 annual flowers are propagated each spring. The productive vegetable garden features many types of fruits, herbs, and flowers, and a gazebo set among wide paths. In addition, the owners have laying hens, and a variety of fowl for food production.

Unusual perennials and specimen conifers grown by Paul Wieczoreck of Champlain Valley Landscaping of Hinesburg will be on view at another property which has extensive stonework.

Artists will once again be painting en plein air, and there are many plant experts who will giving short talks, including Marijke Niles of Marijke’s Perennial Gardens Plus in Starksboro, Sabrina Joy Millbury of Just Dancing Gardens in Williston, and Sarah Salatino of Full Circle Gardens in Essex.

“We wanted our house to have a Nantucket feel,” says one homeowner whose English style perennial gardens will be in full bloom. Extensive plantings and a large patio with stone fireplace are sure to inspire visitors.

This year Sweet Grass Gallery & Gifts on Williston Road will be the site of talks and demonstrations featuring a floral arranger, terrarium crafter, potters, and garden themed art.
A full listing of activities, details, and map come with every purchased ticket. Tickets are $40 and are on sale at Gardener’s Supply, Lang Farm Nursery, and Shelburne Supermarket. The event is held rain or shine, so dress for the weather. Box lunches from the Skinny Pancake will be available for sale at Sweet Grass Gallery and Gifts.

Previous Flynn Garden Tours have raised more than $290,000 to enable school children to attend and participate in the Flynn Center’s Student Matinee Series of educational programs.

Flynn Garden Tour
Sunday, July 13, 10-3pm
There will be a tea from 3-4pm at Gardener’s Supply in Williston with a silent auction and a raffle to benefit the Flynn’s Education Programs for students. Sugarsnap of South Burlington, a farm-to-table caterer, will serve scrumptious light fare and beverages in an elegant setting.